www.centredaily.com
June 17, 2010
The ribbon has been cut and Air Products' hydrogen and fueling station technology is now on stream and will daily power Sysco Corporation's fleet of nearly 100 hydrogen fueled pallet trucks and forklifts operating at Sysco Corporation's new 585,000 square foot food service distribution facility in Houston, Texas. The facility and hydrogen powered material handling equipment was showcased to business leaders and government representatives today at a Sysco Corporation event.
"We have installed hydrogen fueling stations and infrastructure around the world. The material handling market continues to show growing interest in converting to hydrogen powered fuel-cell equipment. This is a leading edge decision that was made, and Sysco Corporation should be commended," said Nick Mittica, commercial manager - Hydrogen Energy Systems at Air Products.
This cost-shared hydrogen fuel-cell project includes a grant provided by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act through the US Department of Energy's (DOE) Fuel Cell Technology Program. This facility is Sysco Corporation's first greenfield installation without battery infrastructure for a material handling fleet.
Air Products' fueling infrastructure at Sysco Corporation includes an outdoor liquid hydrogen storage and compression system, along with multiple indoor fueling dispensers for operator refuelling. Air Products will fuel the fleet of pallet and reach trucks fitted with Plug Power's GenDrive(TM) hydrogen fuel-cell power units. The GenDrive systems can be quickly refuelled in less than five minutes, completely eliminating the need to change, store, charge and maintain multiple lead acid batteries per lift truck.
There are many advantages to using hydrogen powered forklifts and other material handling equipment. Hydrogen fuel-cell-powered equipment needs refuelling once or twice daily, depending on use. In contrast, traditional battery-powered equipment must be placed temporarily out of operation for battery replacement and required battery recharging approximately every four to six hours. Hydrogen fuel-cell-powered equipment provides consistent power strength during use and does not experience decreased performance or wear down as traditional lead acid battery units do as they near a required battery change out or recharge time. Additionally, hydrogen fuel-cell forklifts are not adversely impacted by temperature or by operating in coolers and freezers, in comparison to traditional battery performance. Further, hydrogen-powered fuel-cell equipment is more environmentally friendly because it does not involve lead-acid battery storage and disposal issues.
Air Products' hydrogen fueling technology is currently being used to fuel over 300 material handling vehicles including: fuel-cell powered pallet trucks at Wegmans Retail Service Center in Pottsville, Pa.; fuel-cell powered lift trucks at Central Grocers' new distribution center in Joliet, Ill.; hydrogen fuel-cell powered forklifts at Nestle Waters North America in Dallas, Tex.; hydrogen fuel-cell powered forklifts at the Defense Distribution Depot Susquehanna Pennsylvania in New Cumberland, Pa.; as well as hydrogen fuel-cell-powered forklifts at several other customers in the United States. In addition, mobile fueling equipment unique and patented by Air Products has been and continues to be deployed to a variety of customers for the purpose of demonstrating the technology in real world conditions.
Air Products, the leading hydrogen supplier to refineries to assist in making cleaner burning transportation fuels, has unique experience in the hydrogen fueling industry. In fact, in certain market applications, fueling rates at several individual sites of over 10,000 refills per year are occurring. These applications provide an opportunity to assess consumer experiences, evaluate product performance and advance product improvements. The company has placed over 110 hydrogen fueling stations in the United States and 18 countries worldwide. Cars, trucks, vans, buses, scooters, forklifts, locomotives, planes, cell towers, material handling equipment, and even submarines have been fueled with this trend-setting technology that involves Air Products' know-how, equipment and hydrogen. Use of the company's technology is increasing and is currently at 175,000 hydrogen fills per year.
Air Products has more than 50 years of hydrogen experience and is on the forefront of hydrogen energy technology development. Air Products has an extensive patent portfolio with over 50 patents in hydrogen dispensing technology. Air Products provides liquid and gaseous hydrogen, and HCNG (hydrogen/compressed natural gas) fueling, and has developed a variety of enabling devices and protocols for fuel dispensing at varied pressures. Hydrogen for these stations is delivered to a site via truck, produced by natural gas reformation, biomass conversion, or by electrolysis, including electrolysis that is solar and wind driven.
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